It's A Wonderful Time To Own Leather Shoes In New York

Yesterday, we were a little conflicted. On the one hand, we felt lucky to get to explore The Mark New York's brand new shoe shine kiosk. On the other, we showed up like idiots without any leather shoes to get shined! Drat! Fortunately, local gallerist (and three-time repeat customer) Ryan was already in the chair getting his shined, so we just photographed him.

Located on the ground floor of the hotel, adjacent to the lobby, The Mark Shine by John Lobb is a quaint, yellow-and-brown-themed room—with a big Hermès leather armchair smack in the middle of it. Asked if locals have been responding well to the neighborhood addition, shoe shiner Jamel responded: "A lot of people do double-takes. They walk by, see it, make a mental note, and then come back later in the week.". Mind you, the shop's only been open since August, but people seem to like what they're doing.

The whole process takes between seven and twelve minutes, according to yesterday's on-duty shiner, Jamel Daniels. Customers can sit down in the chair for $10, or drop off their orders for $20 (but assuming you actually have leather shoes on, who would pass up the chance to sit in this bad-ass chair?).

The kiosk, which also sells accessories like shoe horns, polishes, creams, and brushes, is a satellite of John Lobb's larger flagship store on 62nd and Madison. Though if you happen to pass by, the kiosk displays several models of Lobb's sleek footwear, as well as hand-knit socks (in four colors: navy, grey, black and brown).

We liked how all the little amenities of the kiosk perfectly mirrored those of the actual hotel rooms—for example, minibar snacks, a minibar fridge, and even a mirror TV facing the chair, so customers can watch their favorite shows while they get their shoes shined.